


Hogwarts School of I Hate Neji Hyuuga

by misspandalily



Series: to be a dreamer [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: F/M, Harry Potter AU, NejiTen - Freeform, magic is real and you cant tell me otherwise, ryu the dragon is my spirit animal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 12:10:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10513500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misspandalily/pseuds/misspandalily
Summary: A Hogwarts AU, in which Tenten finds herself hating the pompous girl with ghostly-white eyes and long, black hair.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I love JK Rowling to the ends of the earth, she is my idol and my inspiration. Thus, I don't own any of her works, and all of this is my imagination running wild.

There were only a handful of times when Tenten felt mortified beyond relief. The first was her first time at a swimming pool - she'd ran in naked, because it looked like Bath Time with Friends. The second was when she tripped over her own shoelaces in front of the entire school during an assembly, and dacked the Principal on her way down.

Accidentally setting her pet owl Ryu loose in the Hogwarts Express and it's subsequent derailing of the Trolley Lady's cart, however, was a different story.

She cringed, dumped her luggage onto the ground, and retrieved Ryu from the wreckage in front of her. Smoothing down his light-brown feathers, Tenten tucked him into his cage, which was lying askew on the floor.

Only then did she register the Trolley Lady's furious glare, and the stifled laughter emanating from the onlookers. _Ickle Firsties_ , they muttered.

Ryu hooted.

"Watch where you're walking, loser!"

"Sorry!" Tenten kept her head down, mortified, while helping the Trolley Lady recover her wares. "I'm so sorry."

The lady smiled tightly, eyes softening slightly when she realised how many people were whispering about them in the compartments. "It's quite alright, dear," she walked off in a huff, and Tenten retrieved her trunk from the ground.

She honestly had no clue why they needed to haul their things onto the actual train; the staff could have easily magic-ed up a huge luggage compartment for them.

Frowning, Tenten hurried past the crowds of people poking fun at her, and almost cried in relief when she arrived at an empty one a few minutes later. Well, mostly empty.

Sitting inside were two children who appeared to be her age, their eyes were unnaturally light - almost white - and their dark, black hair cascaded down their backs. She perked up. They looked scary, sure, but they were all girls, right? Girls stuck together until the end, right?

Sliding open the compartment door gleefully, she waddled inside with her trunk and owl. "Hello! I'm Tenten!" She swung her trunk onto the sturdy shelf overhead, and set Ryu down beside it.

Tenten sat down next to the girl in boy's clothes, immediately trying to spark a conversation with her. "So, how are you?"

The other girl spoke up, so quietly that Tenten had to lean in to her to hear. "Why are you here?"

Okay, not what she was aiming for.

"There weren't any other seats," she replied earnestly, "and there's plenty of space in here. I don't see why I can't?" She ended with a rising pitch, because the girl she was siting next to turned to glare at her.

"You're intruding on our space." Her tone was strangely deep for an eleven year old girl; was she even eleven?

Tenten scowled, regardless. "It isn't your space. This is a public space, and the last thing I'll do is move aside for you self-entitled toshpots!"

She huffed, moving to the other end of the compartment - as far away from the creepy duo as possible - and pulled her Standard Book of Spells out of the trunk. Tenten didn't want to converse with two girls anymore; in fact, she would be better off having no friends than friends who trampled over other people.

The Hogwarts Express did not chug past Hogwarts itself until a few hours later. But when it did, Tenten couldn't help but stare out of the window, marvelling at the enormity of the castle and it's glittery reflection on the Lake's surface. It was beautiful.

The train conductor robotically issued a notice for 'first years to leave their baggage in the train for collection', which she sighed in relief at. Although Hogwarts looked splendid, the last thing she wanted to do was haul her trunk and owl up what were undoubtedly several flights of stairs. She threw her book back into the trunk, then left the compartment to change into her robes in the female bathroom, which was empty save for a few, taller girls who were applying make up in the mirror.

Locking the door of a cubicle behind her, she removed her Muggle clothes and changed into the smooth, cleanly-pressed ones her den-mother had prepared beforehand. The robes were all black, and had no House badge like the ones she'd seen on others around the train.

Tenten suddenly felt her stomach lurch. She'd only been able to find a few, minute details about the Sorting Ceremony in Hogwarts: A History over the summer holidays. Would she need to undergo an elaborate exam tonight? She didn't want to; she barely even knew anything about magic!

And, if she even passed, which house would she be sorted into? Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin? _Slytherin_ , now there was a house she would avoid until her dying breath. Tenten didn't think she was a bad witch - the worst thing she'd ever done so far was run into the pool naked! She was eight years old at that time! Surely, they wouldn't judge her too harshly. Would they?

A sharp knocking at her cubicle brought her back to the present, and she pulled a billowing, black robe over herself. Unlocking the door, she became face to face with a girl with shocking, pink hair and vibrant, emerald eyes.

Tenten stepped out, smiling shyly. "Sorry!"

The other girl grinned, "It's alright."

She was also holding a pile of colourless robes in her arms, and Tenten noted the girl could very well be her new friend, if she was also a first year.

Having waited for the older girls to finish their makeup, Tenten strode towards the wide mirrors and released her hair from her twin buns. It fell down, stopping mid-back, and she brushed it down hurriedly. Mother had told her to make as good an impression as possible on Hogwarts, but seeing how she'd already gained a reputation for being infernally clumsy, there was little else she could do other than appear presentable - at the very least.

Tenten braided her hair back expertly, making sure not to leave a single strand out of place, then found herself in a predicament. She didn't want release the braid, or everything would loosen and she'd have to restart - there wasn't enough time left for that!

Luckily, at that moment, the bold girl walked out of the cubicle in her uniform - first year, yes! - and washed her hands in the sink beside hers. They smiled at each other shyly.

"Need help?"

Tenten thanked the heavens for this girl's existence. "Yep!" She popped her lips at the 'p', "Could you tie my hair at the end, please?"

She motioned to the blue hair ties sitting on the ledge, which the girl took and tied off her hair with. "So, what's your name?"

"Tenten," she replied chirpily, pleased with their progress, "yours?"

"Sakura," Sakura grinned, which Tenten returned, and the train suddenly lurched. They looked at each other, excitement coursing through their veins. Upon exiting the bathroom, Tenten and Sakura made their way down the same corridor to their compartments. "Aren't you the girl who's sitting with the Hyugas?"

"The who?" She responded dumbly.

"The Hyuga family? Neji and Hinata?" Seeing the lack of recognition in Tenten's eyes, Sakura began to look exasperated. "The boy and girl with white eyes?"

"T _hem?_ " Tenten gasped, Sakura nodded, her head bobbing up and down several times. "What's so important about the Hyuga family?"

The compartment door in front of them slammed open. " _W_ _hat's_ so _important_ about the _Hyuga family?_ " A blonde girl screeched at no one in particular. Sakura looked at her apologetically.

"This is Ino, a friend of mine. Ino, this is Tenten."

Ino threw a quick smile at the brunette before they were all suddenly ushered out of the train carriage. All three of them merrily linked arms with each other, though that ended in roughly two seconds flat when they all needed to walk in single-file.

A gargantuan man wearing a thick, red coat greeted them on the platform, shouting "First years!" over and over again until Tenten, Sakura and Ino eventually joined the end of the cue.

The Hyugas, as Tenten now knew them as, were at the very front and stood before the large man like marble statues. She decided to ignore those two girls for the rest of her schooling life, if that were even possible. If it wasn't, she would make sure that it would happen.

The large man, who introduced himself as Jiraiya, turned his back on them after making sure all the first years were present, and led them all to a separate walkway, where they were greeted by the shimmering, black lake she'd seen through the window earlier.

Jiraiya separated them into groups of three - Tenten was happy that she was with Ino and Sakura - and escorted them into little wooden boats, each with a lantern hanging from a decorative hook at the front.

He instructed them to hold on tight to the sides, and to keep their feet planted firmly inside the deck of the boats, "or else the giant squid'll eat you all". Tenten wasn't sure if he was bluffing or not, but nothing about his expression said otherwise. Giant squids didn't exist, did they?

Ino shrugged at the question. Sakura only grinned.

The boats seemed to be moving farther and farther away from Hogwarts, as they were all entering a dark tunnel that obscured the castle from their line of sight. Jiraiya made a fruitless effort to calm down the chatter arising because of this, and continued to lead the way in his own boat, no doubt enchanted to support his body weight.

It was during this brief period of darkness that Tenten started to learn more about her new friends. Sakura was a pureblood from the Haruno family, who were known throughout the wizarding world for their generosity and high levels of intelligence, rather than their semi-impoverished state. Tenten liked that Sakura didn't place more emphasis on money as her self-worth; in her opinion, there was more to life than coined commodities.

Ino was a half-blood, and was Sakura's childhood friend. According to her, they lived across the valley from each other, and regularly played in the surrounding flower fields, which were constantly in full bloom as her family ran a magical florist.

"What about you?" They asked, after a few more minutes inside the tunnel. Tenten could see a light peeking out from the end.

"Muggle-born," she replied, proudly, "I live in Mayweather's Home."

Their eyes widened marginally, which Tenten predicted. Florence Mayweather's Home was a busy orphanage in London Town; no doubt, they were trying to be polite by nodding their heads as though she were telling them the weather.

Tenten was glad that they didn't pursue the topic any further, not because it was sensitive - no, she'd made peace with that a long time ago, having been raised in an orphanage her entire life - but because the boats had finally reached the end of the tunnel.

Hogwarts looked even more magnificent up close, and Tenten found herself staring, wide-eyed, at it's majesty. If the stone castle could speak to them now, Tenten was positive that she was saying, "Welcome."

"Wo-ow," they sighed in unison.

"It's so big," another blonde boy in the adjacent boat was the last to marvel at Hogwarts' size, as they pulled into a harbour a few seconds later. A tall, blonde woman in dark green robes that billowed at her wide hips strode towards them, heeled shoes clacking against the ground.

She looked imposing, standing before them while they were all still sitting in their boats, dumbfounded, and Tenten had the impression that she was not someone to trifle with.

The woman waited for the last of them to clamour out of their boat before speaking, "Welcome, boys and girls, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She let out what Tenten supposed was a rare smile, "You may refer to me as Professor Senju, and nothing else." The blonde from earlier huffed indignantly, earning him a stern glare. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, however - I beseech you to remain patient until then." Turning around briskly, "Follow me."

They trailed after her, feet slamming down on what seemed like hundreds of flights of stairs until they reached a large corridor with fire-lit lamps lining it's walls. Tenten could hear the muted murmur of hundreds of people talking, behind a particularly large door beside them. Professor Senju crammed them all into a small room across from the large door, and crossed her arms over her large chest.

"Now, when we enter the Great Hall for dinner, you will all be sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Each house has its own noble qualities, and each house has produced its own fair share of remarkable witches and wizards." The excitement in the small, cramped room was palpable. Tenten noted the way Professor Senju's eyes were scrutinisingly scanning each student, as though she was already Sorting them herself.

"Regardless of where you are placed, the Sorting is a very important ceremony because during your time here at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You will eat with your house, attend class with your house, sleep in the same dormitories, and spend your free time in your house common room. If you perform any triumphs, your house will be awarded points. However, if you breach the school rules, your house will have points deducted accordingly. The house with the highest number of points at the end of the school year will be awarded the House Cup - great honour, I hope every one of you will be a credit to your house." She ended on a high note, smiling down on them gently after the onslaught of information.

After a moment of silence, "The Ceremony will begin in a few minutes. I suggest you all neaten yourselves up before we walk in." Her eyes, glistening, briefly fixated themselves on a spiky-haired boy's disgruntled robes in distaste. She walked towards the door and pulled it open, leading them out into the corridor yet again. They separated themselves into groups of two before lining up behind her.

The doors suddenly opened, unassisted, and Tenten was attacked by the thunderous applause that followed them as they walked past long, brown tables with golden platters and cutlery lying on them.

She tilted her head up, staring at the ceiling in amazement. If one could call it a ceiling, that was: there was an inky, black sky at the top, dotted here and there with twinkling stars.

"It's enchanted to look like the sky outside," she heard Sakura whisper beside her. Ino giggled.

When they finally reached the front of the Hall, Tenten saw a long table stretched out across it's width. Jiraiya, and the people she assumed were the other staff members of Hogwarts, were sitting behind the table. They all smiled pleasantly at the fresh faces looking at them in awe. It was then that she noticed the sheer number of ghosts floating about in mid air when she looked over her shoulder. She didn't know if they were supposed to be there, but decided to ignore their presence for now; if no one was telling them to go away, then they were probably there for a reason.

A wizened old man reclining in the tallest, most ornate chair, tapped his drinking glass with a small, golden teaspoon. "Welcome, boys and girls, to another year at Hogwarts. I have a few announcements to make: as per our caretaker, Mr. Kabuto's, request, students are not to run in corridors, and neither are they to send any more toilet seats into the air, or any other offence to that effect." Tenten thought that this was an odd announcement to make, and saw the old man's eyes flicker towards the far side of the room.

"Furthermore, the Forbidden Forest is as out of bounds as always, though I must impress upon you the severe danger you will be subjected to should you venture into it." He smiled pleasantly. She was unsure of why the school would make this Forbidden Forest so accessible to students, if it was reputed to be that dangerous to them, but shrugged it off. It seemed unlikely that Tenten would ever find the energy to venture into the forest, especially not when there were many other places to explore _inside_ of Hogwarts. "This all being said, I wish you all the best of luck this year."

He sat back down, revelling in the heart applause that followed his speech. A grubby, black hat started to sing almost at once, frightening some of the first year students out of their skins. None of them had even noticed the hat on the stool in front of them, save for the Hyuga girls up front, who seemed to be severely unimpressed by it. Even so, Tenten highly doubted that they were expecting it to burst into a song about Hogwarts.

Tenten danced along to it, which was honestly more akin to swaying side to side with Ino and Sakura flanking her sides than dancing. When the song ended, another applause erupted in the Great Hall. Professor Senju caught their attention again when she picked up the hat and held out a lengthy scroll in her other hand.

The Hall went eerily quiet. "The Sorting Ceremony will now commence." Oh no, Tenten thought. She still wasn't prepared! Was that hat going to ask her hard questions about magic? She'd only read the Charms textbook so far! This couldn't be happening! "When I call your name," she began, "you will sit upon this stool, and The Sorting Hat will sort you into your houses."

Tenten smiled weakly, still uncertain about what the hat would do, but had no time to continue nervously appraising her own anxiety.

"Tenten." The Professor called out the first name on her scroll, golden eyes scanning the crowd for her presence. Sakura elbowed her in the ribs, prompting Tenten to robotically walk up to the wooden stool. She sat down, and felt the Hat's worn fabric envelope her vision.

_Curious_ , a small voice whispered into her ear as soon as the drone of voices in the Hall died out, _how very curious._

_What's curious?_ She asked, hesitantly. The Hat didn't seem to be gruelling her for magical theory, at the very least, so she felt somewhat relieved. _Who are you?_

_The Hat_ , it replied bluntly. It was the most obvious answer, after all.

Tenten inwardly apologised.

It ignored her apology in favour of whispering to itself. _Definitely promising. Brave, yes, and driven. No doubt an intelligent one, perhaps a Ravenclaw?_

She felt her heartbeat spike at the word. There was a definite choice for her! She belonged to a house!

The Hat seemed to pick up on her excitement. _No, no, I see something bigger for you. It'll have to be_ "GRYFFIDOR!"

The Hat was promptly removed from her head, and she felt all the tension from the morning until this moment ebb away. The applause was deafening; she leapt off the stool exuberantly before plonking herself down next to a tall girl with spiky brown hair.

The girl shook Tenten's hand happily, "I'm Temari, Gryffindor prefect. Congratulations on being the first of Gryffindor of the cohort!" They grinned at each other, even though Tenten had no idea what a prefect was or what it's implications were.

She watched the next few students being Sorted into their houses, sympathising with the terrified looks on their faces. There wasn't another Gryffindor until 'Uzumaki, Naruto', the boisterous blonde, sped up towards the Hat and over to the Gryffindor table within the span of a few seconds.

Ino and Sakura were the next two to be called out; Tenten didn't realise she was gripping the edges of the seat until a wooden splinter dug into one of her fingers. She watched Sakura run over to the Ravenclaw table, crestfallen, but perked up when Ino flamboyantly strutted over to sit down beside her. They grinned at each other.

Professor Senju called out Hyuga, Neji, and the entire Hall froze. Tenten felt infernally confused.

What was the big deal?

Seeing how Ino was also engrossed in watching the Hat silently sort Neji, she gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Why is she so hyped up?"

Ino rolled her eyes. " _He_ is Hyuga Neji! Hyuga family extraordinaire! Prodigal son of the Minister for Magic? Is this ringing any bells?" Tenten shook her head but remained silent, even when he was sorted straight into Slytherin moments later (to the Slytherin table's delight, she suspected, and he was the first of the cohort to join them). He certainly seemed to fit the Slytherin caricature. A harrowing thought hit her. Prodigal SON? Neji was a BOY?

The shock most have registered on her features, though it was heavily mistaken for extreme surprise. The other first years surrounding her patted her back, ruefully shaking their heads and scorning Hyuga Neji's arrogance.

"Hyuga, Hinata."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" This snapped Tenten back into attention. How was it that the two Hyugas were sorted into such different houses? Weren't Hufflepuffs meant to be kind? Tenten hadn't seen any of that kindness on the train.

She watched the dark-haired girl timidly walk over to the Hufflepuff table, then strengthened her resolve to the ignore them - Neji more so than anyone.


	2. Origin Part A - Diagon Alley Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sub-series within a series: A NejiTen pre-Hogwarts Origin Tale (Part A)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part of my origin series, before I move on to more oneshots in this Hogwarts AU for Naruto.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Part A. Diagon Alley Discoveries**

* * *

Stumbling into a strange place called Diagon Alley and accidentally fainting at the sight of it was the last item on Tenten's bucket list. She had awoken, possibly hours afterwards, on a small bed in the middle of a quaint room with strange decorations inside of it. She couldn't tell what the time was either, because the only clock there had seven hands that ticked erratically from behind it's glass pane, and when she looked closely enough, the exquisite paintings on the walls seemed to _move_ and _inquire_ about her 'well being.'

Tenten wasn't sure if that word applied to her anymore. She'd only meant to take a quick peek at the little building in between the record store and the bookshop while on a stroll with her Orphanage caretakers down Charing Cross Road. It was hardly unnoticeable, and stood out to her immediately, but appeared to be almost invisible to the people walking past her. Perhaps it was just one of those Avoid At All Costs buildings that the staff members always warned her about, but she'd also seen a few, strangely-dressed toddlers bounce through the doors with their mother. Tenten couldn't help herself at that time, and sneaked in discretely.

By sight, it looked like a dinghy pub that served a multitude of _extremely eccentric people_ who chuckled merrily at odd jokes like 'Muggles' and 'Hufflepuffs'. Refraining from staring wide-eyed at her surroundings, she caught sight of the previous family and hurried after them as they walked straight out of the other door.

They were all greeted by a brick wall, and Tenten felt mildly disappointed, given all the extravagant sights she'd just seen in the previous room. It was a dead end.

"Going to Diagon Alley too, sweetheart? Where are your parents?" The blonde woman smiled sweetly at Tenten, before taking out a wooden stick. Tenten had no idea why she did that; a wooden stick was just a stick, no matter how polished and ornate it appeared.

She played along, anyway, and nodded. "Yes, they told me to meet them there."

"Wonderful! I'll open up the passageway for you." With a few, select tapping motions on the walls, Tenten was suddenly bombarded by an onslaught of _extraordinary_ sights and had promptly fainted.

"Are you quite alright, dear?" The painting of people eating roast beef together shouted loudly. She stared again, and pinched herself. Not a dream.

The door slammed open moments later. A portly man wearing an outdated top hat waddled into her room while fiddling with the hat's brim nervously. "Hello, dear."

Tenten stared at him. "Hello."

He smiled at her cautiously. "Do you know where you are?"

She thought back. "Diagon Alley?"

"Correct," he beamed, "and, if I may I ask, how did you enter?"

She glanced at the stranger uncertainly, suddenly aware of the fact that this man was in actuality a Stranger, and she'd been taught not to trust strangers.

Tenten leaned back into the pillow behind her while clutching the ever-present golden necklace that had been hanging around her neck since she'd been admitted into Winona Mayweather's Orphanage as an infant. Attached to the chain was an old-fashioned key with a 'G-569' code carved into it's head. It always gave her a sense of comfort whenever she touched it, and at the moment Tenten's gripping on it was so tight that her blood was starting to drain away from her knuckles.

Truth be told, the young girl was frightened. Up until today, everything had been perfectly ordinary for Tenten, with her immaculate school attendance rates and the prized coin collection that dated back to 1967. The staff liked to tease her for having an old lady's hobby, but Tenten had always enjoyed collecting money.

Today, she had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her, and wandered into an unknown place with no Adults to supervise her and currently, Tenten felt like curling up into a ball and crying. She wanted to go home to where people knew her, and where she could live in peace without frightening - alright, frankly, very friendly - objects talking to her.

The man sitting down across from her caught sight of the necklace in her hand. He ceased his questioning immediately, and started muttering to himself while pulling out a roll of old, yellowing paper and quill and scribbling down a message. Words like 'impossible' and 'muggle' were audible, but Tenten was too far away from him to hear his words properly. If anything, she was more confused about his choice of stationary. After a while, he stepped out of the room and returned, empty-handed, sitting himself back down again.

"Excuse me," she managed to find her voice, "what's happening?"

He stood up, looking flustered. "Nothing to worry about, my dear. It seems that there will be a change in plans."

"What plans?" Tenten asked frantically. "What were you going to do to me?"

"Nothing terrible." A young woman carrying a pile of papers strode into the room with a small pig trotting along at her side. "Ah, Shizune. Thank you for coming here on such short notice. Have you brought the uh-necessary items?"

The brunette woman named Shizune nodded briskly, sending an exasperated look to the air. Tenten would have giggled had she not still been terrified out of her wits. The portly man hurried outside, as though her mere presence unsettled him to no end.

The woman turned to Tenten and smiled at her kindly. "Hello," she said softly, "My name is Shizune. What's your name?"

Tenten released a breath that she'd been holding tensely. This woman seemed trustworthy enough, with her hands held open in a peaceful gesture and her kind face smiling openly at her. "Tenten."

"Tenten," she repeated, "that's a lovely name." Shizune sat down on the chair that the man had just stepped out of and rested the papers on her lap. "Tenten," she prodded, after a brief period of silence, "Are you, perhaps, wondering what exactly Diagon Alley is?"

Tenten nodded rapidly, eyes widening more and more by the second. Finally, some answers!

"I'm not sure how to put this," Shizune rubbed the back of her neck uncertainly. Tenten edged forward in an attempt to catch the string of words that were flying from her mouth. "Diagon Alley is a market place for witches and wizards all over England."

Her mind was completely, and utterly blank. Witches. Wizards. She laughed hysterically, ignoring the awkward expression on the older woman's face and the confused looks that the portraits were giving each other. Did she honestly believe that Tenten was foolish enough to believe in wizards? Magic?

Tenten's laughter diminished when she backtracked her thoughts. The portraits were alive; they could talk and walk, and the woman from before was holding a stick. Not an ordinary stick, no. It must have been a magic wand. She pinched herself again. Still not a dream.

This must have been an elaborate ploy to lure her into misbehaving and lose her dinner points for tonight. But then, who would be determined enough to plan something so large-scale? Surely not Augustus. He might be a big, mean bully, but he certainly wasn't clever or resourceful enough to perform something this...grandiose...for the sake of pranking her. Besides, the brute probably would've chosen to simply steal her dinner rather than orchestrate an elaborate plan to do so.

"What?" She managed to eke out.

"Diagon Alley is a market place for witches and wizards around Europe to congregate and replenish their supplies," Shizune restated patiently, "And, by sheer luck, you have managed to stumble into it." Oh, _boy_.

Tenten remained silent, feeling somewhat less terrified than before.

Shizune pressed on. "The Leaky Cauldron, Tenten, is the passageway into Diagon Alley. In other words, the portal connecting the non-wizarding world with the wizarding. I congratulate you on finding it."

She remained contemplatively silent. "Why are you telling me all this?"

The question seemed to catch her off-guard. "Well," Shizune started, "We, being the Minister and I," at her confused glance, the older woman elaborated, "the Minister for Magic is the man who runs the Wizarding Government, essentially. No, that man was just an official. Nevertheless, we do have reason to believe that you, Tenten, are a witch."

Tenten wasn't expecting that news. She felt like bursting into a new round of laughter at the ridiculousness of Shizune's claim. But the woman's expression didn't change, didn't morph into a wide, jocular smile, or anything of the sort. Instead, she seemed patient, and absolutely certain with her words.

"This is a joke," Tenten barks out, "A huge, gigantic prank. Who set you up to this? Augustus?"

Folding her arms, and looking slightly concerned at the implications of Tenten's accusations, "I assure you, it is the furthest thing from a joke." She leaned in closer, "Tenten. Has something out of the ordinary ever happened to you? Events you couldn't explain, even with the most advanced forms of science you know?"

She thought back to the previous year, when her coin collection disappeared from under her nose as Augustus and his bully friends were trying to find and desecrate it. And the time she'd fallen into the lake on a camping trip - swimming wasn't her forte - and immediately emerged as dry as the wood crackling under the bonfire that same night.

Tenten knew, deep down, that those events were far from commonplace. But, still, that didn't necessarily mean that she was a _witch_ , did it? Shizune seemed to think otherwise, especially when an expression of dawning comprehension appeared on Tenten's face.

"I can't be a witch, Shizune. I don't know a thing about magic, or any mystic arts. I'm just Tenten." The last part came out in a faint whisper.

Shizune smiled. "You're far from just Tenten, sweetheart. I'll prove it to you." Her kind, brown eyes flickered towards the necklace hanging around Tenten's neck. She stood up. "Off we go, dear."

"To where?" Tenten leapt off the mattress, curious to see where Shizune was going with this.

"A quaint little place called Diagon Alley."

* * *


	3. Origin Part B - Grotty Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the Naruto Hogwarts AU Origin Tales - Tenten comes to realise that not everything that glitters is gold, even when magic is involved.

Tenten shook her head, dying to know the backstory behind her sole legacy. "It's the key to a Gringotts vault. Gringotts is the chief wizarding bank, run by goblins." They turned round a corner, and continued down the street. She tried her very best not to gawk at the exquisite sights that surrounded her while Shizune talked. "It seems that at one point, someone left you with their belongings, and only you can access it, because you have the key."

Tenten looked down at the golden key in muted wonder. She was connected to someone, _somewhere_. Tenten, the orphan, was not alone - that notion single-handedly filled her to the brim with elated happiness. "Why me?"

A flicker of discomfort flashed across Shizune's face at this query. "I do not know."

Suddenly, a harrowing thought dawned upon her. "Shizune," the older woman hummed pensively, "If we're going to the bank - to examine my- my stuff, don't I need some form of identification? I mean, the banks in my world all need you to present your information before you can access your belongings." She quietened down when Shizune started to gaze at her curiously. "I'm sorr-"

"No, no," Shizune smiled kindly, "Don't be sorry. You're extremely sharp, for someone so young. It just caught me off guard."

"Oh." She blushed happily, ignoring the lack of an answer. After all, it wasn't every day that Tenten received a compliment. The Orphanage's staff were always so busy, and she didn't have many friends both in and out of school either. "Thank you."

Eventually, they reached a looming, white marble building with the word 'Gringotts Wizarding Bank' emblazoned in golden font, overhead a mahogany-wood door. "Wow," she caught herself gawking again, then quickly ran ahead to catch up with Shizune, who was already cracking open the front door. Inside, however, was another story, because the last thing Tenten was expecting to see was _goblins_. Goblins! They exist! What?

Shizune, completely unfazed, strode to the front of room with her head held high, towards a wrinkled creature sitting at the front desk.

"Name?" It croaked out, not bothering to look up at either of them.

"Shizune Kato. I'm here on Hogwarts business." She extracted a worn piece of parchment from the inside of her coat and handed it over to the goblin silently. Tenten refrained from asking Shizune what was _actually happening_.

The goblin finally deigned to glance up from it's paperwork, having read through the parchment, and handed it back to Shizune. Then, its beady eyes turned to Tenten, and it smirked maliciously. "It seems the House has returned."

"What?" Tenten eked out, mildly curious. Her guardian moved to shield Tenten from the goblin's stare protectively.

"May we return to our business, Blorgrod? I'm afraid that I'm a little bit pressed for time today." Tenten couldn't see Shizune's face, but the tensed muscles of her back and her defensive stance was more than enough of an indication that Shizune was quickly losing her patience. The question was, over what?

"Of course," Blorgrod grinned nastily, then stepped down from its pedestal and led them into a dark tunnel, where they were sat down into a metal carriage. "Hold on to the sides."

That, Tenten reflected, after being sent on the most terrifying pseudo-rollercoaster ride of her life, was a good piece of advice. By the time the hunk of metal screeched to a sharp halt in front of a large, circular vault door, she was ready to hurl up the contents of her meagre breakfast. Shizune placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, then moved towards the door with Blorgrod. The goblin held up a gnarly finger to the metal, then moved it downwards until a series of patterns separated under his touch. She winced at the horrible screeching sound that the movement made. "Vault 569, you have ten minutes."

Shizune thanked him brusquely, then pushed Tenten forwards gently.

Tenten, for the life of her, could not fathom the logic behind the sight that greeted her. Inside Vault 569 were piles upon piles of pure, sparkling gold. A sea of jewels, coins (coins!), shimmering trinkets and odd knick-knacks swam around in her vision, nearly blinding her. Her lips went dry. "What-What's all this?" She asked Shizune.

"It's all yours."

"No," she shook her head, finally tearing her eyes away from the treasures, "I don't own anything, much less all _this_."

Shizune had that uncomfortable look on her face again. "It belongs to your family, Tenten. They left it all behind, for you."

_Well_.

_That_ was new information.

"Are you sure?" Tenten didn't want to get her hopes up too soon, lest she return to the dejection of losing a prospective family again.

The lady shrugged, though her expression was grim and resolute. "Rumour has it, only the descendants of this particular line will be able to step foot into this vault without being completely shut out. I myself would have only been able to walk in because _you_ did."

"I-"

"Two minutes," Blorgrod informed them snootily. So, exactly two minutes later, they'd gathered up a sizeable amount of coins into a leather pouch that Shizune had procured from her coat, returned to the wild rollercoaster ride, and were stepping back into the sunlight with the pouch of coins jingling against Tenten's side.

Only then, when they were out of the vicinity of Bank, had she summed up enough courage to question Shizune about her heritage again.

"Perhaps we should discuss this matter in private," Shizune replied vaguely. They walked into an open-spaced ice-cream parlour filled to the brim with chatty witches and wizards from around the globe. It was, as she suddenly realised, a hot summer's day today. Tenten was thankful for the rest-stop.

Shizune ordered two strange-looking sundaes from the floating menu, pressed a few coins into the shop-keeper's hands, then ducked her head down to speak to her in a low voice. "Tenten. What I am about to discuss with you is _highly_ sensitive information. You _cannot_ , in any circumstances, release this information to anyone. Believe me when I say that only a few people know about your true identity-"

"Excluding me," Tenten interrupted impatiently, but nodded nonetheless.

"Yes," the woman nodded, "Even you do not know how you truly are." She took in a deep breath, frowned at the bustling crowd around them, then extracted her wand and muttered, "Muffliato." Nothing happened.

"What did you just do?"

"Silencing Charm. Never mind that. Listen. Eleven years ago, a dark, dark wizard rose to the heights of his power, and led one of the most _horrifying_ massacres in magical history. Thousands of men, women and children were slaughtered under his rule; nobody was exempt, save for the purebloods."

"Purebloods?"

"Magical folk who descend from purely-magical lines. There are three, widely-believed, categories of blood magic: muggle, half-blood, and pureblood. There are, of course, _absolutely redundant_ notions and attitudes associated with each type, with 'purebloods' being the most prized amongst supremacists. This Dark Lord, in particular, believed that only those of a pure line of magic were allowed to practise magic, and that everybody else defiled the wizarding name. _False claims_ , Tenten, these are _false_. Some of the greatest witches and wizards in the world are muggleborns."

Tenten took a hesitant sip out of her sundae, letting the fizzing sensation travel through her body. This was an awful lot of information to pass down in one day. Shizune, who had been close to tears before, composed herself.

"What-uh, what happened to this _Lord_?"

"That's the thing," her voiced lowered to a hushed whisper, even though they were already, allegedly silent to those around them, "Nobody really knows. All reports of his activities ceased eleven years ago, when he attacked a small wizarding family in Godric's Hollow, a village. Rumour has it," Kami, there were a lot of rumours in this world, "that he was destroyed by a toddler."

"A toddler," Tenten said flatly, "A toddler killed this Dark Lord?"

"You seem doubtful," Shizune noted, "Many were, but his disappearance and this little boy's survival was more than enough proof to most people. We hope, dearly hope, that he is gone forever. And, that's where you come into the picture."

"Me?" This story would have been the most ridiculous of them all, had Tenten not already witnessed the mechanisms of the wizarding world first-hand.

"Yes, you." Another deep breath. "You, Tenten, are his daughter."

"No." Tenten said immediately. How could she possibly be the daughter of a mass-murderer? "That's not true. There's no proof. _Why_ me? How did he even have enough time to procreate, on top of killing off half of the world? I can't-"

"You can't believe it," Shizune finished swiftly, the uncomfortable expression returning. "He was known to have...procreated, as you so aptly put it, during his younger years. Profusely. And, for some unknown reason, chose to leave all of his belongings to you."

Tenten shook her head, several times, then some more, then pushed the sundaes away from her. She felt her lips wobble uncontrollably, and felt a moist pressure dribbling down her cheeks. "Disgusting," she said, "I'm disgusting."

"No," Shizune frowned, "You're innocent. Children don't choose their parents, but you can choose how to move down your own path by yourself." Though the woman's words were logical, it suddenly struck Tenten that Shizune was terrible at comforting traumatised children.

"I'm a predetermined killer. You can't change what you already have." She was eleven, for Kami's sake! Who tells an eleven-year-old child that their father is a mass-murderer, and hope that she'll be fine with it? What if she went along with her _nature_? Her _calling_?

"But you don't have the makings of a killer, Tenten. You can _make_ yourself."

"Why did you even tell me all this? What is the _point_ of burdening me with this, so early on? Couldn't you have waited for me to grow up? I'm eleven tomorrow! What is _wrong_ with you?"

Shizune breathed in and out again, "Would you rather that I lied? I've only known you for a few hours, but you've never struck me as someone who appreciates lies."

Tenten sat back, chest still heaving from the revelations of the day, and the sudden, lead-like weight on her chest.

This Dark Lord, a ruthless killer, was her father. She would rather take another rejection than acknowledge that fact. Even she didn't want to accept her heritage, now that she _knew_. Now that her questions were finally answered, after a decade's worth of questioning, she wanted to take it all back and return to her previous, ignorant state. She pawed at the tears, still flowing down her face, grabbed a tissue from the table, and wiped down her face miserably.

Because, even with all of this information, Tenten thirsted for _more_.

After a long period of silence, during which Tenten hiccupped her way through her sundae and ignored the concerned looks of passers-by, and Shizune guiltily nibbled on a biscuit, "Who was my mother?"

"I don't know," Shizune responded silently. "Her identity was kept a secret from the world, much like yours is now."

What if Tenten knew her parents? What if they'd all, under an unlikely chance, lived in harmony with each other and celebrated her birthdays together, and their anniversaries?

"What was my father's name then?" Surely, Shizune would know.

"I don't know that either. He operated under a pseudonym, and revealed his name to no one."

Maybe she would have known who her father was. Perhaps he was a gentle soul before he rose to power. Unlikely, yes, but Tenten wanted to hope, of all things. She had a surname, but it was hidden in the pages of history; she didn't know which pages to read or know anyone who could tell her. Tenten was the nameless orphan yet again, stuck with a key that would only lead to her a vault of gold. That thought alone filled her with sadness, mixed with a hint of anger. She didn't want gold, not when she had a family to look for!

"Then, what was his pseudonym?"

The woman seemed terrified at the mere thought of saying his name out loud. "I-" Tenten stared at her pleadingly. Murderer though this man was, he was the only link she had to a family. "Don't make me say this more than once."

" _Izanagi_." Shizune held a hand to her heart while taking deep, heaving breaths.

"Izanagi?" Tenten parroted out loud.

"Tenten, p-please-"

"Right, sorry. Sorry," though she wasn't exactly sure why, "How come you..." She made a hand motion instead of elaborating, which Shizune accepted.

"Most of us don't like to say his name. It...brings back bad memories. Terrible memories," she seemed to notice the reappearance of Tenten's sadness, as she clasped her shoulder comfortingly, "Like I said earlier: you control your own fate, Tenten. It doesn't matter what your parents did, because you are not them."

"Why would you tell me all of that, when I can't even say who my parents are in public without being shunned?"

Shizune had no reply for that.


	4. Origin Part C - Ryu the Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wand shopping! Because when one is feeling down, a little spark and fire is all they need to lift themselves up.

"Your birthday is tomorrow, isn't it?" They were walking along the street of Diagon Alley again, this time with Shizune allowing the both of them to look around at the sights and wander into shops to peruse wares.

Tenten felt the previous events of the day push themselves into the back of her mind as they kept strolling along, and let out a contented sigh. There was no way that she would let her history interfere with this trip; everything in front of her was so much more fascinating than the life of a murderer. If she could have more happy moments like these more often, ambling down an eccentric road with a kind woman who gave her warm smiles, then she would seize them by the handle and treasure them.

"Yes," she bobbed her head up and down excitedly, even more so when they passed by Eyelops Owl Emporium, "I'm turning eleven tomorrow."

"That's good," Shizune beamed, "Then, consider this an early birthday present," she extracted yet another piece of parchment from her jacket and handed it to Tenten.

It was an envelope, of all things. Gazing up at Shizune curiously, Tenten pried the seal apart and removed several pieces of paper from the pocket. After hearing more encouraging noises from Shizune, telling her to "go on, read it", she was standing in the middle of Diagon Alley with her mouth hanging wide open.

"Hogwarts? School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? There are schools for magic?"

The woman nodded. "There are many. Hogwarts, in particular, is the school designated to students dwelling in the United Kingdom."

Her mouth was still opening and closing like that of a fish out of water. She peered down at the acceptance letter yet again, shocked. "Why do _I_ have a letter?"

"You've been on the register ever since you were born," she replied casually, as though this piece of information was completely normal, which, given Tenten's current surroundings, probably was, "Although, I admit that I was not due to give this letter to you until tomorrow. Strike when the iron is hot, I suppose," Shizune shrugged, then smiled at Tenten. "Would you like to come to Hogwarts?"

"What about my highschool?" Tenten asked, with a look of pained realisation. She downheartedly registered that she still had highschool to attend when the school year began, and all of a sudden, the prospect of making new friends in secondary school seemed dull compared to Hogwarts. "Won't I need to attend? To learn about mathematics? And science?"

"The choice is yours," Shizune responded diplomatically, "But should you choose to attend Hogwarts, the Orphanage staff will be informed that you were accepted into an exclusive boarding school in Scotland," a wink, and a cheerful grin, "We can't have everyone know about the wizarding world, can we? Imagine how much more crowded Diagon Alley will be!"

A barn owl screeched when they walked past it, then ruffled its feathers arrogantly as Tenten comically returned its haughty gaze.

"So," Shizune spoke up again, "Will you go?"

Tenten beamed back, elated. "Definitely!"

* * *

Shizune ushered Tenten into a strange, dusty shop situated at the very end of Diagon Alley.

The moment they stepped foot inside its creaky wooden interior, an old man magically appeared in front of them, magic wand in his hand as he silently scrutinised Tenten's appearance. Shizune was hurriedly stuffing all of Tenten's new school supplies into a strange, bottomless backpack that they'd purchased only a few moments ago.

"You are new," he said, in a withered, misty voice, "The wizarding world is very new to you, and yet," the man leaned forward until the tip of his nose was mere centimetres away from hers, "You have a long, long history that precedes you."

Flabbergasted, Tenten nodded, not knowing _why_ she was even agreeing with him. Unless- unless, he was referring to the history she'd _just_ learnt about this day. That would make more sense, but he really wasn't supposed to know anything, was he? Shizune's pointed cough and narrowed eyes confirmed Tenten's suspicions. The man retraced his steps and led them to his weathered desk.

"I remember ever wand I've ever sold, young girl, and I suspect that I know exactly _who_ bought the wands of those who birthed you."

An odd thing to tell someone you've just met, surely, but Tenten couldn't help but feel fascinated by the knowledge lurking within the depths of the old man's eyes. Another cough from her caretaker brought them both back to reality, and the old man waved his hand before wandering away into the scores of bookshelves. When Tenten said scores, she meant _scores_. There were at least twenty that spanned across the width of the shop, and definitely several more adjoined to each of those gargantuan shelves as they ran down the length of the room. How this was managed, Tenten surmised, was probably aided by the use of magic.

And she suspected that there was _plenty_ of that, because in each shelf of every bookshelf, there were hundreds of different boxes bearing different names for wands. She was amazed that the old man seemed to know exactly where to go and which wand he was pulling out, even though he seemed to be extracting them at whim.

"Who is he?" Tenten whispered up to Shizune, still observing the old man's erratic actions.

"Mr Ollivander," Shizune replied helpfully, "His family is known for being one of the oldest wand-making families in the world. You won't find a better wand outside of here, that's for sure."

"Oh." Tenten felt pleased. She was learning more and more things about the wizarding world by the second, and actually discovering that she _belongs_ somewhere, somewhere with a rich history, and eccentric shops and figures, filled Tenten with a swelling sense of happiness. "Do I get to have my own wand?"

Shizune nodded; affirmative. "Of course! We'll be spending the rest of the day purchasing school supplies before you return to the Orphanage. As it happens, you stumbling into Diagon Alley was most convenient; I didn't have to venture all the way to your home to give you this letter."

"Fate?"

The woman grinned at her, and shrugged. "Possibly. I've never believed in such machinations. Divination is a flawed art."

Tenten didn't have the opportunity to ask what divination was, because Ollivander returned, moments later, with a large pile of wand boxes in his arms, and settled them down gently on his desk. The old hardwood trembled under the weight of the wands, but - miraculously - remained upright.

"Here you go," he delicately opened the first box on the pile and handed it over to her, "Chestnut, unicorn hair, thirteen inches; reasonably supple." Mr Ollivander took in Tenten's blank expression with an arched eyebrow. "Go on, girl, give it a wave!"

Tenten nodded slowly, then flicked the wand to the right and jumped when it sent a small lightning bolt towards the closest bookshelf. He snatched it out of her hands and handed her the next wand, only to remove it from her the moment she touched it. "No, no," he muttered under his breath. She was starting to get incredibly irritated. "This wont do."

They repeated the same sequence over and over again, each time with less fruitful results; Tenten didn't know whether to berate the old man or not, because Shizune looked on patiently and encouraged Tenten to endure through the selection process with a smile on her face. That was easy for her to say, she didn't need to go through millions of wands.

Moments later, "Tenten, I'm going to go ahead and purchase your other school supplies. It's nearly time for all the stores to close, but don't worry - I'll come back in a jiffy." Shizune, carrying half of Tenten's money sack, hurried out of Ollivander's wand shop with a frown on her face. Mr Ollivander shifted Tenten's focus back to the wands as she gave him a hefty sigh.

"Sir, with all due respect, I don't see why we have to go through so many wands when we can just choose a random one from the stack!"

Thankfully, he didn't seem the slightest bit upset with her complaint, and smiled. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he said, "The wand chooses the wizard, Tenten." And nothing else.

So she accepted that statement, and continued gritting her teeth through several more piles until finally-

"Red Oak, dragon heartstring, twelve inches; supple. Very supple," Mr Ollivander eyed her curiously, "Curious." His lips thinned, stretching out the wrinkles lined around his mouth. "Give it a wave."

Tenten gingerly plucked the wand from its box, half-expecting fire and brimstone to shoot out of it's edge, and was pleasantly surprised by a rush of warmth that coursed through her veins like hot chocolate on a cold winter's night. She whooped in delight when a lovely, miniature firework burst out of the tip and enveloped the room in a bright, shimmering glow.

Mr Ollivander looked pleased. "I think that I can expect great things from you, Miss Shimura."

* * *

When Tenten emerged from Ollivanders, wand-box clutched securely in her hands, Shizune was standing in front of her triumphantly. Her brown eyes travelled down the length of the woman's arm, then popped out when she noticed the same haughty owl from earlier, ruffling its feathers as it sat on its caged perch.

"Think of it as a birthday present," Shizune said cheerfully, "And a gift for your official welcome into the wizarding world."

Tenten stumbled forwards, admiring the arrogant owl's magnificence, and grinned. "Thank you," she replied, shakily taking hold of the cage, "Ryu."

"Dragon?" Shizune translated.

"Yes," Tenten beamed, "I've always loved dragons."

The woman smiled, then motioned them towards the bustling street. "It's time for you to go home, now. I expect to see you in exactly six months from now, inside the corridors of Hogwarts." They strode together in silence; Tenten couldn't help but think about the name that Mr Ollivander had addressed her with. Miss Shimura. Shimura. Shimura. She repeated it in her head like a mantra.

The old man, mildly senile though he was, did claim that his memory was in ship-shape condition; she believed it to be as well, going by the rapid, yet sure, movements that she had seen in the wand store. There was certainly no why he could have referred to her as a Shimura, other than to supplicate her with a surname. A _surname_.

The question was, did it belong to _him_?

"Shizune?"

"Yes?"

"Mr Ollivander called me something while you were away." Seeing no further response from her, Tenten continued, "Miss Shimura?" She observed Shizune's reaction closely. Her expression did not shift. If anything, the woman seemed confused.

"Shimura?" Shizune repeated her words, then looked pensive.

"I don't recall hearing about anyone named 'Shimura' on the streets of London," Tenten didn't know how to feel about that. Shizune ceased her movements to place her hands on either side of Tenten's shoulder. "Perhaps he'd made a mistake. Goodness knows how old Mr Ollivander is now."

"Then," Tenten pursed her lips, then released them, "How-"

"I don't know, Tenten," Shizune said firmly, a little _too_ firmly. Tenten winced from the sudden pain of Shizune's tightening fingers. Registering the agonised expression on Tenten's face, Shizune softened her hold and stood back up.

"I don't know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I, yet again, own nothing.


End file.
